Babies hard-hit by food scarcity"...They have also become innocentvictims
of Mugabe's destruction of the economy" By our own Staff

THE ongoing severe food shortages are now threatening the survival ofinfants
and babies as it has emerged infant foods have gone out of stock inmost
retail shops around the country.

A snap survey conducted by The
Standard showed that most supermarketshad run out of baby cereals and other
supplementary foods.

Retailers and consumers blamed the shortages
on the government andchallenged authorities to set up corrective measures
before the situationspirals out of control.

Margaret Huni of
Budiriro said: 'The government should work out thesolution to whatever food
shortages we face because they are the ones whocaused them through their
chaotic land reforms.

'They destroyed the commercial farming
industry and as a result evenour children are threatened with death because
we cannot find food for them.Come to think of it, we are likely to queue up
for baby cereals in the nearfuture,' she said.

Commercial
farmers who used to supply most of the food in the shopshave fled Zimbabwe
in droves since 2000 when President Robert Mugabeunleashed notorious squads
of self-styled war veterans to grab their land.

Said Siduduziwe
Ndlovu, whom The Standard caught shopping yesterday:'Baby cereals have
become scarce like everything else in Zimbabwe and evenwhen you find some,
they are unaffordable.

'Something definitely needs to be done by
the powers that be to ensurethat our children get a healthy upbringing.
Infants in particular are at themost vulnerable stage where they need
nutritious food but they appear tohave also become innocent victims of
Mugabe's destruction of the economy.'

Ndlovu said she has since
resorted to making mealie porridge for herone-year-old daughter, Nomvula,
because she cannot find baby food in theshops.

At one shop in
the Harare city centre where the baby food shelves werevirtually empty, this
paper witnessed a 'back door' transaction involvingthe sale of baby cereals
as shop attendants sold the food direct from theshop's
warehouse.

When the workers were asked about the baby food, they
said anyonecould also buy it if they wanted, provided they paid a
'persuasion' fee.

'These cereals are scarce and are actually being
rationed. Customerscan only buy two boxes per person but if you want more
you will have to talkto us nicely and quickly before the (branch) manager
comes,' one of theworkers quipped.

Only imported brands of baby
food could be found in most retailoutlets. A kg of soya protein food, a
substitute for breast milk, costs asmuch as $21 000 in most
supermarkets.

Beverley Takawira, a mother, said: "It may sound like
a small matterbut the shortage of baby food is quite severe and the
government needs tostep up efforts to rectify the situation.

'We cannot feed our children on the same food we eat because it is toosolid
and does not have the nutritional content that children require. Thecereals
and milk in particular are the most important and yet they are notonly
expensive but scarce as well,' she said.

Anna Manyika, a buyer at
the giant supermarket group, TM Supermarkets,yesterday attributed the
shortage of baby food to the price controls.

She said: 'The main
problem is that there is only one manufacturer ofbaby cereals and formulae
in this country, which is Nestle Foods. Andbecause of the price control
regulations set by the government, Nestle hasapparently been forced to
reduce production because they are making a hugeloss.

'TM had
also started importing the food from neighbouring countriesand abroad, but
we have been forced to stop because the government enforcedStatutory
Instrument 46 of 1998 and 67 of 1999 on baby foods, which outlawsthe sale of
baby food whose packaging is not in the three national languages(Ndebele,
Shona and English). As a result, importing the food is not viablefor our
business."

Where does the Sunday Mirror stand - it is
with the people or against them?

It was interesting to see an
article in the Mirror with the headline "Bloodbath in the bazaar". The thrust of
the article was about the damage caused by a bomb which landed in a Baghdad
bazaar (street market) and caused massive and horrific civilian casualties. The
first words screamed out from the page "It was an outrage, an
obscenity."

One wondered if the Mirror had ever used these words in
relation to the atrocities carried out by the illegitimate Mugabe regime against
the ordinary people of Zimbabwe? One wonders what the editorial policy of the
Mirror is? Go easy on Mugabe and his henchmen if we want to stay in business? Or
is it more than that, is it a case that they are deliberately going easy on the
regime out of conviction?

Underpinning the article was the unquestioning
acceptance that the bomb was from the US and deliberately aimed at the
market.

That reminds one of the explosives either detonated or found in
the Kadoma area recently. Any Zimbabwean will know that any claim or statement
by the propaganda organs of the illegitimate Mugabe regime is as a matter of
certainty either a travesty of the truth or an outright lie.

Did the
Mirror question the validity of these government claims? Did they consider and
voice the likelihood that this was yet another in a long line of CIO setups? If
not why not?

The people of Zimbabwe want to know (as George W Bush said)
"either you are for us or you are against us". Maybe the Mirror will tell
us.

There are
many different hypotheses that have been given by differentpolitical
commentators as to what really led to the opposition MDC routingthe ruling
party Zanu PF in the just ended by-elections in Kuwadzana
andHighfield.

Efforts to seek comments from Dr Nathan
Shamuyarira on how the partyexplains its defeat in the recent by-elections
were unsuccessful. Dr EddisonZvobgo, however, declined to comment saying
that commenting on why Zanu-PFlost to MDC would amount to "working against
my party".

"Why don't you ask Jonathan Moyo or Chinotimba himself?"
he said. Somepeople the Sunday Mirror spoke to came up with different
theories to explainZanu-PF's defeat. One view was that the credentials and
political profilesof the individual contestants were a key factor. But the
trouncing ofMunyaradzi Gwisai in Highfield seemed to show that the
individual's worthdid not count for much in those elections.

Others were of the view that the anti-Mugabe sentiment was mostdecisive. But
this theory is also problematic in the sense that Zanu-PFmanaged to win in
some of the previous by-elections. Yet others placed theblame squarely on
campaign strategy. For example, were the Zanu-PFcandidates able to
articulate party policies well enough at their campaignmeetings, instead of
concentrating on dolling out mealie-meal packs toprospective voters (that is
if the allegations doing the rounds these dayswere anything to go by)? Did
they understand those policies themselves? Howdid they explain the economic
hardships people now face in urban areas? Whathas their party been doing
about it and what does it plan to do in thefuture to tackle those problems?
One stands to be corrected, but one getsthis uneasy feeling that these
vexing questions remained largely unansweredby the time people went to the
polls. While each of the above factors mayhave contributed to the overall
result one gets the impression that thereare broader issues at play here,
especially when this is considered in thelight of some Zanu-PF victories in
previous by-elections. So what reallywent wrong this time? What did Zanu-PF
do or not do right that cost itelectoral victory in these by-elections in
particular? What is most probableis that Zanu-PF is doing something right.
It has adopted a developmentpolicy with a rural bias, a people-centred and
people-driven developmentpolicy. This is quite evident in the agrarian
reform policy, which hassought to channel more economic resources to the
farming sector, whichincludes the rural areas. A very recent example of this
policy shift was thehiking of producer prices for the staple maize crop from
$28 000 to $130000. Some sections of society were bound to be hurt by such a
policy thrust.The urban-based, white-owned and controlled industrial
establishment was onesuch casualty of this policy. The trickle down effect
of this policy meantthat life would be a lot harsher for the urban peasant
now than it wasbefore. The urban peasant is underfed, underemployed,
under-productive,underpaid, under whatever else you can think of. And
naturally, this is anangry electorate less likely to be appeased with a few
bags of maize meal.The urban electorate holds the incumbent government
accountable for alltheir suffering occasioned with the economic decline. It
was to suchdisconsolate crowds that Chinotimba and Mutasa went laden with
bags full ofyellow maize meal, it is alleged, to woo them for their votes.
If this istrue then, the electorate, unfortunate for them, proved less
gullible. Theyknew that this sudden and "targeted" charitable disposition of
Chinotimbaand Mutasa would not last long enough beyond the election date. So
theyaccepted the donations but voted otherwise. The Herald on Tuesday, April
1led with a front-page story headlined: "MDC wins by-elections",
followedwith a subhead, "Results show Zanu-PF's consistency by maintaining
itssupport base". Though acknowledging MDC's victory, the story was really
atpains to prove that the polling results actually showed that Zanu-PF
wasgaining in popularity in the urban constituencies and that MDC's
popularitywas waning. On the other hand, other publications appeared to
celebrate theelection outcome for the MDC. The question to ask is did the
electionresults come as a surprise to Zanu-PF or did the party anticipate
the poorshow in those urban constituencies? If the party anticipated the
poorresults what explanation does it have for its poor performance? Given
thatthere are more by-elections lined up for Zengeza and Harare
Centralconstituencies, are we likely to see different campaign tactics
beingemployed by the ruling party to win those elections? The Zanu-PF
candidatesmisjudged the mood of the electorate. They ought to have known
better. Onthe other hand, the opposition MDC, by calling for a stayaway on
the eve ofthat election and by threatening to call another stayaway if the
outcome ofthe election was not in their favour, amounted to declaring a,
"heads I winand tails you lose" double dealing. The opposition has the
advantage that itcan act irresponsibly and indulge in acts, which sabotage
and furthercripple the economy (stayaways and torching of buses) and still
use thenegative consequences of their actions to turn the electorate against
thosein government. The opposition enjoys a double advantage in that
whengovernment responds, as indeed any other government should do under
thosecircumstances, by sending the police to quell the demonstrations,
theopposition cries foul. "The government is abusing the repressive
stateapparatus to deny us the exercise of our democratic right," they say.
Whenthings go haywire in the economy, partly due to such actions, again
theyblame the government. But may I disabuse my friends and fellow citizens
ofHarare of the belief that Tsvangirayi would be more benign in
handlingprotestors against his own rule or misrule once the whole state
machinery isplaced under his beck and call. What is most likely, he would
unleash thepolice force on the people with greater zeal and enthusiasm. The
lessonwhich Zanu-PF should learn from these election outcomes is that the
urbanelectorate, though poor, is far from naïve and gullible. Those elected
torepresent the party should be able to articulate party policy in terms
ofhow such policy will address the practical short term and long term
concernsof the electorate. Where things are not going on well, as is the
case rightnow, it serves no useful purpose to pretend they are. It is much
better toaccept where their policies went wrong and explain what corrective
measureswill be put in place to arrest the situation from further
deterioration. Ifthey sincerely believe things went wrong due to no fault of
their party thenthey should clearly and most emphatically point out the
source of the socialills afflicting society. All having been said and done,
the voters want toknow why they should not vote MDC, but most importantly
why they should voteZanu-PF. Sloganeering alone won't do the trick.

The Zimbabwe government has rounded up white farmers,
accusing some of being"British-sponsored lawless elements" behind recent
mass action in thecountry.

In comments carried by the
state-controlled Sunday Mail, InformationMinister Jonathan Moyo accused some
white farmers of defying governmentorders to leave their land.

The
comments are likely to be seen as a slap in the face for thewhite-dominated
Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) which last year chose todrop most legal
challenges against the government's acquisition of theirland in favour of
dialogue.

Moyo also accused the farmers of being "part of the brains"
behind anopposition led strike last month that saw urban areas closed down
across thecountry.

"The time has come for them to be dealt with in
terms of the full wrath ofthe law. Their lawlessness will no longer be
entertained," he said.

Relations between the government of President
Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe's4,500 or so white farmers have been testy since
the controversial landreform program was launched three years
ago.

The CFU has recently expressed its concern over the continued
eviction offarmers and the acquisition of farms even though the government
last yeardeclared that land acquisition was over.

Last week, the CFU
claimed a farmer in the southern district of Mwenezi wasabducted and beaten
by a group of around 200 "settlers" who forced him tosign a document
agreeing to leave his farm.

The union's concerns were included in a
letter recently sent to AgricultureMinister Joseph Made, the Sunday Mail
reported. The letter prompted an angryresponse from the government, the
paper said.

Moyo was quoted as saying that the CFU no longer represents
commercialfarmers "but in fact now represents unrepentant Rhodie (former
whiteminority Rhodesian) farmers and other lawless elements".

Around
11 million hectares of previously white-owned land has so far beenseized by
the government for redistribution among new black farmers. Onlyaround 600
white farmers are reported to still be on their farms.

Moyo accused the
farmers' union of being behind the March 18-19 strikecalled by the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to protestalleged
misgovernance.

The government has received widespread criticism,
including from the USgovernment, for its alleged crackdown on domestic
opponents in the wake ofthe mass action. Hundreds of opposition supporters
were arrested.

IN an about-turn,
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)says it has abandoned
plans for more stayaways as means to protest againstPresident Robert
Mugabe's brutal rule and will now try to drag the Zanu PFleader back to the
negotiating table.

Senior MDC officials yesterday told The Standard
that they hadabandoned the idea of a massive street protest that was meant
to get rid ofMugabe and would now try to lure the governing Zanu PF party
back intonegotiations.

Zanu PF walked out of South
African-backed talks with the MDC lastyear after demanding that the
opposition party drops its court actionagainst Mugabe's controversial
electoral victory in the presidentialelection.

Paul Themba
Nyathi, MDC spokesman, yesterday said the party's newstrategy had the
backing of the international community, including regionalleaders who are
also working to get Mugabe back to the negotiating table.

"The
first mass action was very successful and we have been buildingup from there
for the next stage, which will not necessarily take the formof stay aways.
The people will engage in a series of various means ofdemocratic resistance,
chief among them, boycotting Zanu PF-backedbusinesses," said
Nyathi.

MDC president, Morgan Tsvangirai, emphasised the need for a
carefullyplanned and cautious approach in order to avoid giving Mugabe an
excuse tocause more bloodshed.

"Mugabe is ready and viciously
prepared to crush the people. Wetherefore need to avoid a situation which we
will later regret," Tsvangiraitold The Standard.

The MDC leader
however, said of the new strategy: "I can't say nowwhether it is going to be
this coming week or not. I will only announce atthe right
time."

According to other sources within the MDC, the new strategy
hasalready been mooted by Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo and President
ThaboMbeki of South Africa, who are believed to be working with other
members ofthe Commonwealth and the Southern Africa Development Community
(Sadc) toseek a solution for Mugabe's honourable exit and to stop Zimbabwe's
furthereconomic and political decline.

However, according to
the two Commonwealth leaders who with Australiaare part of troika tasked
with finding a solution in Zimbabwe, thestrategies they envisage have to
avoid bloodshed and they believe that mightbe inevitable given the current
mood among Mugabe and his close Zanu PFaides.

Mugabe, who was
clearly embarrassed by the success of the two-day massstay aways organised
by the MDC last month, has vowed to crush theopposition.

He
also publicly announced that he had ordered the armed forces todescend on
"mischief makers" in the opposition in the wake of an ultimatumissued by the
MDC ordering him to restore the rule of law or face morepublic
action.

A systematic wave of terror ensued in the townships and the
townsafter Mugabe's pronouncements and and a number of MDC leaders,
includingvice president Gibson Sibanda, were arrested, tortured or beaten
up. Sibandais still in police custody.

The MDC might however
find that its about-turn is not going to bepopular with many Zimbabweans who
had geared themselves up for the finalshowdown with Mugabe and his ruling
Zanu PF.

THE opposition More Drink Coming party in a troubled
central Africancountry last week routed the ruling Zany party. In
by-elections held in twocapital city townships, the More Drink Coming party
romped home tocomfortable victories against considerable odds.

Prior to the elections, the Zany party leader, the most equal of
allcomrades, assured the nation that he was confident the More Drink
Comingparty would lose.

Instead he lost.

Analysts
said the More Drink Coming Party's resounding victory provedthat someone was
feeding the most equal of all comrades with informationthat could only be
described as dubious. Others pointed out that the Zanyparty's decision to
field a security guard in a grass hat as a candidatecould only be described,
even charitably, as a foolish blunder.

Residents pointed out that
the only possible reason to elect theformer security guard as a lawmaker
would be to turn the troubled centralAfrican nation's parliament into a
comedy show.

Meanwhile political scientists who can't be named said
that the Zanyparty's pre-poll tactics could only be described as designed to
confuse theelectorate."On the one hand they made thousands homeless, then
raped, beatand tortured hundreds more. On the other hand they promised food
and otherluxuries. Voters were left in some doubt as to what the Zany
party's agendawas," one person told Over The Top.

Independent
observers said the polls were deeply flawed and that theMore Drink Coming
party won only because the figures were so overwhelming itwasn't possible to
rig them.

The Zany party did not comment on the results, something
it does onlywhen it wins. It has become standard for the Zany party to
declare electionsfree and fair after it has won. If it loses, it says the
results prove thetroubled central African regime is democratic.

Still, the question of democracy is hotly disputed by hundreds oftorture
victims who question the connection between democracy and beingwired to the
national grid, whipped with barbed wire, beaten with AK47assault rifles and
dumped in the bush.

Still, all was not smooth going for the More
Drink Coming party.Despite sailing home in the polls, angry troubled central
Africans said theparty was being more than a little slow in stepping up the
pressure on theZany party. In a spirited show of disapproval, one torture
victim told OTTthat having given the most equal of all comrades an ultimatum
to behavehimself, it was about time the ultimatum was put into
effect.

Given that hundreds of More Drink Coming party supporters
were nursingswollen buttocks and other wounds, it seemed reasonable that the
party'sleadership should put itself on the frontline and take some of the
samepunishment, one victim said.

"What I'm feeling right now is
pain in the butt after being whippedwith barbed wire. I think it only
reasonable that my leaders, if they are apeople's party, should feel some of
the same people's pain," he added.

In response, the More Drink
Coming party pointed out, with somejustification, that several of its
leaders had been arrested or were in thedock facing not insubstantial
charges.

Still, the remark didn't seem to hold much water with the
party'sgrass roots supporters. They said it was one thing to be arrested,
but quiteanother to endure days of torture. And they said that when one of
theirleaders was tortured, he was immediately dispatched abroad for
counselling,while the povo, who suffered the same and worse treatment, had
to seekcounselling services in the nearest all night drinking spot-provided
thearmy hadn't closed it.

INITIALLY scorned by the majority of Zimbabweans as unable to bringpressure
to bear on President Robert Mugabe, Sadc now appears prepared to dosomething
about the deteriorating situation in this country.

Southern African
foreign and defence ministers meeting in Harare lastThursday are reported to
have expressed concern over gross human rightsabuses, repressive
legislation, general lawlessness and the collapse of
theeconomy.

Mozambique's foreign minister, Leornado Simao, who
chaired thecommittee went further to say that a Sadc Taskforce would visit
Zimbabwenext week to examine the political and economic crisis with a view
tohelping the country get out of its present predicament.

Despite what the Mugabes and Mudenges say, the truth of the matter isthat
the situation in Zimbabwe is not sustainable. Sadc governments mustlisten to
all Zimbabwe voices, not just endorse uncritically the Zimbabweforeign
minister's ridiculous claim that the Harare authorities arecommitted to the
democratic process in the country.

Our message to the Sadc Troika
that will be visiting Zimbabwe is thatthe proof of the pudding is in the
eating. The economy has virtuallycollapsed. In the recent mass stayaway and
by-elections, hundreds ofZimbabweans were assaulted allegedly by the army,
the police and CentralIntelligence Organisation operatives. Not to mention
the orgy of brutality,violence and intimidation of suspected opponents of
the regime that has beenunleashed by the ruling Zanu PF militia, notoriously
know as the GreenBombers.

Arrests are the order of the day in
this country. As we write, theVice-President of the Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) Gibson Sibanda islangushing in remand prison. It is no
exaggeration to say that Zimbabweanshave come to expect heavy-handedness
from the police.

In civilised democracies, protesters and
demonstrators, regardless ofparty political affiliation, are escorted
through the street by a policeforce tolerant of diverse views and opinions.
Only after acts of violenceoccur do they respond-and then with carefully
calculated minimal force.

But in Zimbabwe the police are partisan
when they are required to beabove party politics. Demonstrations are broken
up before they even beginand in the breaking up, extreme force is deployed,
not just against thedemonstrators, but even against journalists covering the
event. TheZimbabwean police have consistently refused to stem violence using
theexcuse that the crimes are political. It is a strange and weird excuse
thatshould be totally dismissed and rubbished out of hand.

In a
free and democratic society, there is no such thing as apolitical
crime-still less a political crime too sensitive to investigate.Crimes
committed in the name of politics are still crimes and should bedealt with
professionally, irrespective of who commits them.

As things stand
now, the MDC can barely speak without courting arrestwhile Zanu PF can
behave with loutish impunity, with little or nothing tofear from the police
or the courts. This is totally unacceptable and theSadc Troika needs to tell
the Zimbabwe government precisely that.

The Sadc foreign ministers
who met last Thursday were also informed bythe government of Zimbabwe that
the chaotic and controversial land reformprogramme had been successfully
completed and in the light of thisinformation the meeting subsequently urged
the European Union (EU) to dropsanctions. Nothing could be further from the
truth. It is a base lie to saythat everything is now OK on the agriculture
front.This is one of thegovernment's chief propaganda arguments against
those opposed to it. TheSadc Taskforce must talk to as many people as it can
so that it reduces thedegree to which it is being misled.

It
was indeed heartening to hear the Mozambique foreign minister saythat the
soon-to-visit Sadc taskforce would meet with the various farmers'groups,
NGOs, church leaders, civil society groups and the opposition MDC totry to
get the correct perspectives on the Zimbabwean situation. Everythingmust be
done to appraise the Sadc taskforce not to be hoodwinked by suchZimbabwe
government propaganda.

We also view with alarm the fact the
Thursday Sadc Committee meetingnoted the pending amendment of the Access to
Information and Protection ofPrivacy Act (AIPPA). Zimbabweans in general and
journalists in particularhave been deeply grieved by this repressive and
draconian law. We are merelystating the obvious when we say that this
wrongly and comically-named Act isincompatible with freedom and democracy.
And Zimbabwean journalists have yetto see the so-called amendments to the
Act that are being banded about.

For the past three years, Sadc has
been guilty of deliberatewithdrawal from the real world of Zimbabwe. The
political leaders of thecontinent in general, and the Southern African
region in particular, havestood by President Mugabe against the opinion of
Zimbabweans, the EU, theUnited States and the Commonwealth. It is our hope
and prayer that they nowhave a genuine change of attitude with this
taskforce coming to our countryand to seriously investigate what has gone
terribly wrong here.

We are all for genuine and sincere dialogue
and contact rather thanostracism and isolation. It is time Sadc leaders told
the Harare authoritiessome home truths. The Zimbabwean government knows the
truth but they justpretend not to in their determined bid to cling to power
at any cost. TheZimbabwean struggle is an unambiguous struggle between good
and evil.

It is our earnest hope that the Sadc taskforce will be
visitingZimbabwe with a open mind and with a view to-as the Mozambique
foreignminister rightly pointed out-"save Zimbabwe from total collapse."

They ate and enjoyed the bait without swallowing the
hook By Chido Makunike

ZANU PF's defeat last week by the
MDC in the Kuwadzana and Highfieldby-elections, reveals a lot about what is
wrong with the ruling party, andwhy it continues to lose its hold on the
hearts and minds of Zimbabweans.

Does Zanu-PF have a brain at all,
or is it an organism composedentirely of fists? Over the last few years, it
has been given ampleindication of the urban voters' alienation from it, but
dismally failed toaddress this in its election strategy.

Zanu
PF misreads Zimbabweans by assuming that because it has beeninfiltrated by
mercenaries and crooks up to its highest echelons, everybodyelse is for
sale.

In recent years, it has lost most of its liberation-era
gloss, andbecome merely a gathering of self-serving individuals and groups.
Someseeking shelter under its wings are fugitives from justice in foreign
lands.Others are pseudo business-types who use membership of the once
respectableparty as a cover for their crooked deals.

So rotten
has the ruling party become that it can no longer evenconceive that people
can be motivated in their actions by principles of thecommon good, rather
than narrow, immediate selfish interests. A disastrousresult of this
misreading of the public mood was the attempt to bribe votersby the
provision of hard-to-find basic goods-for free, or at heavilysubsidised
prices.

Several things went wrong with this crude strategy.
Zimbabweans arefar more intelligent than the mentally challenged ruling
party gives themcredit for. The voters made complete idiots out of the vote
fishermen byeating and enjoying the bait, but without swallowing the hook.
They werehappy to avail themselves of the cheap mealie meal, cooking oil,
bread andtransport services, knowing very well that they would only last for
theduration of the campaign.

Zanu PF is too alienated from the
electorate, too arrogant and tooinept to have figured out that people now
know all its tricks, and will nowseek to outwit rather than be taken in by
them. It did not occur to themthat the voters who were lining up for the
basic goods it flooded the twoconstituencies with, would at the same time be
asking some very hardquestions that neither the ruling party nor its hapless
candidates were in aposition to answer satisfactorily.

Questions such as: Why are these basic goods so hard to find on thestore
shelves in the first place? Why are they so expensive on the rareoccasions
they can be found? If Zanu PF is able to get them to attempt tosway their
vote, why does it not make them as widely and cheaply availableto the whole
country, so that all of us can access them without having tofirst attend a
political rally and pledge allegiance to Zanu PF? Why shouldwe be grateful
to the causers of our suffering, for temporary relief fromthat
suffering?

The attempts at vote buying actually focused attention
on all thethings that have gone wrong under its corrupt, incompetent
rule.

The two elections were also a referendum on Mugabe &
Company'spropaganda strategy of the last few years, in which all the
hardship-causingproblems are blamed on the British and other external foes.
Kuwadzana andHighfield have embarrassingly repudiated this propaganda,
showing they justdon't buy it. The amatuerish state propaganda machinery
failed to sell theidea that support for the MDC was not a genuine expression
of a desire forchange, but a trick by the British to unseat the
'revolutionary' government.

David Mutasa, the ruling party's
Kuwadazana candidate was asuninspiring as the winner, the MDC's Nelson
Chamisa. The contest was notabout the candidates or their capabilities, as
neither of these twogentlemen showed anything to offer in terms of
intellect, politicalpotential, problem solving/analytical ideas or anything
else. It was a caseof tweedle-dee versus tweedle-dum.

It was
more a referendum on the urban electorate's current feelingsabout Zanu PF
under Mugabe, than it was a reliable gauge of how people feelabout the
MDC.

Zanu PF has continued to bungle Zimbabwe's affairs since being
spurnedby the urban electorate in the general and presidential elections,
while theMDC has not done anything significant in that time to increase the
passionof support for it. Zanu PF should be more worried about the
implications ofits losses here and at the same time the MDC should not be
over-excitedabout its wins. People are sick and tired of Zanu PF, and for
now, the MDCis the only alternative conduit through which to express that
sentiment.Judged on its own merits, rather than merely as the only current
alternativeto Zanu PF, the MDC remains as lacklustre and dull as it has
always been.

Highfield was a little bit different in that the
ruling party's losingcandidate, Joseph Chinotimba, aroused stronger emotions
than any of theother candidates in the two elections.

As a
chief enforcer of Zanu PF's extra-judicial, strong armintimidatory tactics
since the farm and factory invasions of the last fewyears, Chinotimba is
certainly widely feared inside and outside the rulingparty, and admired by
some for his swashbuckling ways. He has impunity inhis actions because of
the full support and approval of the highest levelsof the Zanu PF apparatus.
His rejection by the voters is therefore a directslap in the face of
Mugabe.

Chinotimba certainly served Mugabe and Zanu PF well in
thuggishlyscaring their opponents. But come on, he is hardly parliamentary
material!He may have been an effective warrior in instilling terror in the
whites andother perceived enemies of the party, but it was a silly and
grievousmistake to then attempt to mould him into something beyond that
limitedenforcer role.

It needed far more than having him wear
suits instead of rags andstraw hats to repackage him as a respectable
figure. He is feared andresented even within Zanu PF for being a
johnny-come-lately and buffoon whohas nevertheless been permitted by Mugabe
to have intimidatory power thateclipses that of the real party
cadres.

He has contributed a lot to Mugabe's growing reputation as
a tyrantwho depends on war lords, and to Zanu PF's as a party that will
stoop to anydepths to get its way. From being a municipal security guard
with a modestsalary, in two years we have seen him use his Zanu PF
connections to becomea man of means, driving luxury vehicles and benefiting
from the system ofpatronage to win government contracts out of the blue. He
reeks with thestench of all that is wrong with Zanu PF.

Under
the protection of Zanu PF, he once had to flee the constituencyhe presumed
to represent for having shot a woman there, something the voterswould
neither have forgotten nor forgiven. Add to that, his uncouthshallowness ,
and you have to marvel at how crazy it was of Zanu PF toreally believe he
could win an election in Highfield at this time in ourpolitics, even with
the help of all the underhand tactics at Zanu-PF'sdisposal.

He
had no chance against even the MDC's unexciting Pearson Mungofa. Ifthe
ruling party's rigging apparatus was at work, it is just as well itwasn't
successful this time. Few people would have believed Chinotimba wouldhave
won the seat fair and square, and he would have been a domestic
andinternational embarrassment as Highfield MP.

The most
pathetic of Zanu PF tactics before and after the electionswere their
allegations of violence and intimidation against their supportersby the MDC!
This was patently absurd from a party that has perfectedviolence against its
opponents, the only thing it does well.

We were also expected to
forget that apart from the many trainedmilitia that enforce Zanu PF terror,
the entire might of the army and theblatantly partisan police force are on
it's side. What 'violence andintimidation' could the unarmed ruling party's
opponents meaningfully useagainst all the weapons and propensity for
violence of Zanu PF and itssupport troops?

The Mugabe regime is
spawning violence by silencing all peacefulavenues of peaceful protest, but
any random acts of violence that are takingplace pale in comparison to the
organised state-sponsored violence we havewitnessed in Zimbabwe over the
years. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The MDC may not really need
to do anything except point out Zanu PF'smany own goals. One strategy for
them to consider is to simply stand asideso as not to be harmed by any
exploding shrapnel as Zanu PF self-destructsfrom its own incompetence,
internal contradictions and growing alienationfrom Zimbabweans. Simply
cleaning up the mess of the explosion afterwardsmay be enough to get them
into power, at least for one term.

My I express my sincere
condolences to ZBC TV, which showed itspartisan colours by plunging to
pathetic new depths of un-professionalism intheir mourning over the election
results. The Zanu PF BroadcastingCorporation attempted to downplay the
hottest story of the week by featuringweak sports stories first, before
perfunctorily mentioning the earthquake ofZanu PF's defeat.

The
usual partisan, Mugabe-worshipping doctors and professors were notcalled to
try to put a spin on things as would have been the case if Zanu PFhad won.
Shame!

BULAWAYO-The Department of Veterinary Services is in dire need
of morethan US$4m (Z$225m) to purchase vaccines to contain sporadic
andintermittent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, Standard Business
hasestablished.

The demand for foot and mouth (FMD) vaccines
comes amidst an upsurgein the number of outbreaks of the disease throughout
the country.

The latest outbreak occurred in a commercial farming
area in Figtree,Matabeleland South, a week ago and would further jeopardise
the country'schances of resuming beef exports to the lucrative European
Union market.

The EU suspended annual beef imports from Zimbabwe
worth $1 bn inAugust 2001 after intermittent foot and mouth outbreaks were
reportedthroughout the country. Zimbabwe was exporting an annual beef quota
of 9 100tonnes before the suspension.

Department of Veterinary
Services principal director, StuartHargreaves, confirmed the shortage of
vaccines in the country but said hewould comment on the issue next
week.

"The vaccines situation in the country is critical and we are
workingflat out to acquire the drugs but at the moment I cannot give you
furtherdetails, but I will be ready to do so early next week," said
Hargreaves.

Zimbabwe has been getting its vaccines from the
Botswana VaccineInstitute but the country has found it difficult to sustain
paymentarrangements in foreign currency, leading to supplies being
discontinued .

The veterinary department is expected to meet
regional experts nextweek to discuss methods of curbing the disease and how
Zimbabwe could accesscheaper vaccines.

Hargreaves confirmed the
meeting but could not be drawn into givingmore details.

"It
would be best for me to comment after the meeting with SADCexperts next
week," he said.

I WAS
appalled to read on Page 2 of Standard Business that I am a"leading member
of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

I am NOT a
member, leading or otherwise, of the MDC, and I have neverbeen. I am also
not a member of any other political party, and I have nointention of
becoming a member of any political party.

The last (and only) time
that I was a member of a political party wasin 1958, when I was a member of
the late Sir Garfield Todd's party, andcampaigned for a universal franchise
and land reform.

My interest in politics centres upon their impact
on economiccircumstance. When government (Zanu PF) does something which I
consider tobe constructive, I say so, and when it does something that I
consider to bedestructive, I also say so.

The same holds good
for anything the MDC says or does which I considerto be economically
constructive or destructive.

Only a week ago, in the Erich Bloch
Column, I criticised the MDC's"mass action" which led to a stay away from
work, because I thought it to beill-considered in view of the very negative
economic consequences and theworsening circumstances for workers already
confronted by great hardships.

I am concerned that my writings,
speeches and comments should not bemisconstrued as politically motivated,
for they are not.

GWERU-The Zanu PF-dominated Gweru City Council has put
the blame onlast month's bursting of sewer pipes in Mkoba 10, which resulted
in thecontamination of drinking water, on Rhodesian plumbers who they
sayoriginally designed the sewer and water pipes.

The mishap
resulted in raw sewage seeping into the water system andabout 1000 residents
had to be treated for diarrhoea, vomiting and abnormalpains.

Minutes of the latest Gweru City Council's environmental managementcommittee
meeting reveal that the city fathers, who are yet to make anapology to
residents, now blame Rhodesian plumbers for the problem.

"The
incident was a result of original Rhodesian-era designs wherewater and sewer
pipes crossed each other," said director of engineering,Jones
Nantambwe.

He said the pipes should have been designed in such a
way that theylay parallel and distant from each other.

To avoid
such incidents in the future, Nantambwe said council wouldsoon hold
refresher courses for all plumbers on how to handle Rhodesiandesigns where
sewer pipes crossed each other.

ZIMBABWE'S economic downturn, political instability
and resultant foodshortages have had a severe effect on Aids patients in
public hospitals asthe institutions are unable to provide the recommended
food, The Standardhas learnt.

Patients and health workers who
spoke to The Standard urged governmentto step up efforts to procure more
nutritious food for public hospitals thatattend to the vast majority of the
country's population.

They said there was need for government to
replenish the publichospitals' dry food stores with healthy food required by
Aids patients.

One Aids patient who requested anonymity, said: "We
are always told togo home and eat healthy food after being admitted in
hospitals and yet theydon't have anything nutritious there
either.

"The current economic and political situation has worsened
the plightof HIV/Aids patients because food is just scarce for ordinary
people andwhen found, it is unaffordable."

Although Jane Dadzi,
an administrator at Parirenyatwa hospital wasadamant that all patients
received adequate food and a balanced diet, sheadmitted that the hospital
did not have a diet programme specifically forAids patients.

Dadzi said: "Some patients get a prescribed diet on the advice ofdietitians
but we do not really have a diet for Aids patients; we justprovide food
required for the ailment they are suffering from."

Experts say at
least 25% of Zimbabweans are infected with the HIVvirus that causes the
killer disease, Aids.

While the government and experts are unsure
about how many lives thedisease claims each week, it is estimated that
between 2 000 and 3 500Zimbabweans die of Aids-related illnesses every
week.

A nurse at Harare General hospital said the hospital was
teeming withAids patients who required special attention by virtue of their
condition.

"They need healthy food to boost their immune system and
enable theirbodies to fight the HIV virus, and yet the government only
provides mediocrediets for them," said the nurse who refused to be named for
fear ofvictimisation.

She added: "Here all patients are treated
the same and are put on thesame diet as if they suffer from the same
ailment. As a result we sadlywatch as most Aids patients waste away due to a
poor diet."

Some studies show that malnutrition contributes to
between 60 and 80%of Aids deaths.

It is also largely agreed
that many of HIV/Aids symptoms are treatablewith appropriate nutrition
because many of the infections that areassociated with Aids affect food
intake, digestion and absorption.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's chaotic land reforms have so
decimated thenational cattle herd that at least 10 years are needed for
Zimbabwe torebuild the beef industry.

The violent removal
sinceFebruary 2000 of more than 3 000 whitecommercial farmers by
government-backed Zanu PF militia and landlesspeasants, has seen massive
destocking which has reduced the cattle herd by60%, the Commercial Farmers
Union, (CFU) says.

In the commercial sector, the herd now stands at
less than half amillion, about a million less than at its peak of about 1,5
million beforethe farm seizures.

Although the communal sector
is currently estimated as having a fourmillion strength herd of cattle, it
is almost insignificant to the country'sbeef requirements-as well as the
export orders-because cattle in the ruralareas are normally regarded as a
measure of wealth and for other culturalreasons and therefore are not easily
disposed of.

Zimbabwe used to earn up to $2,5 billion from annual
beef exports withthe commercial sector supplying more than 80% of the
cattle.

This has all been suspended because Zimbabwe is failing to
meet its 9100 tonnes' beef quota for the European Union as well as other
obligationsfor the Asian, South African and Libyan markets.

The
beef exports have also been affected by the foot and mouth diseasewhich has
been worsened because some new settlers have cut quarantine fencesand
allowed carriers of the disease such as buffalo and kudu to mix
withcattle.

The Central Statistical Office (CSO) recently
described the effects ofthe chaotic land reforms as
'catastrophic'.

'The commercial beef industry is under siege and
the situation iscatastrophic,' said the CSO, a government body which
compiles statistics ontrade, migration and other issues.

As the
attack on white commercial farmers by the new settlers and thewar veterans
intensified, many of them were left with no option but toslaughter their
heifers and sell the beef on the local market.

Derby Hilton, who
used to keep 500 heifers on his farm in Chinhoyi,said he had to quickly
dispose of his herd after his farm had been invadedby Zanu PF militia sent
there by some senior party politicians.

'There was a clear desire
to grab my farm by high ranking governmentofficials. As soon as I had
received the section eight eviction notice, theysent their people to force
me out. I had no option but to slaughter andauction the whole herd,' said
Hilton.

The people who occupied his farm, including a senior
governmentofficial, have been trying to convert what was a cattle rearing
ranch into acrop production farm.

At the time when most white
farmers where slaughtering their herd forfear that they they would lose them
after being forcibly removed from theirproperties by the war veterans, the
economy experienced a flourishingparallel beef market whose prices were
relatively low.

However, as soon as the auctioning and slaughtering
had ended, bitterreality struck the consumer as an acute beef shortage
ensued and prices ofmeat more than doubled. Currently, a kilogramme of beef
is selling for up to$2 000.

The government has been trying to
attribute the drastic fall in thenational herd, as well as the shortage of
beef, mainly to the outbreak ofthe foot and mouth disease in
2001.

However, Stuart Hargreaves, the director of the veterinary
servicesdepartment denied that the disease had caused the massive decimation
of thenational herd.

Said Hargreaves: 'The disease has not
impacted on cattle numbers andneither has it affected the supply of beef to
the local market. The cattleaffected by the disease is suitable for
consumption two months after beingvaccinated. The major decline in the size
of the herd can only be attributedto the disturbances on the
farms.'

Renson Gasela, a member of parliament for the opposition
Movement forDemocratic Change (MDC) who is also an agricultural expert,
painted a gloomypicture of the cattle industry.

'It will take
several years, probably 10 or more for the country toresuscitate the normal
herd. Since the severe 1992 drought, we had not begunrestocking,' said
Gasela, who is also the MDC's shadow minister ofagriculture.

He
added: 'And then came the chaotic land reforms to completelyparalyse the
national herd. At the moment, a young female stock is sellingat a
prohibitive $150 000, and that is unaffordable for most
resettledfarmers.'

Another negative factor was the slaughtering
of pregnant female cattleat the height of the farm invasions, which abruptly
dented the systematicprocess of replenishing and sustaining the
herd.

Although the government claims to have established schemes
throughwhich its 'new farmers' can access loans to buy cattle, the efforts
fall farshort of resuscitating the national cattle herd, as there is also
the needto revive grazing pastures destroyed during the land grab.

POLICE Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri, has banned
the latest copy ofthe monthly police magazine, Outpost, because it carries a
detailed storyand pictures of the deadly anti riot gear expected to be used
to crush amass uprising against President Robert Mugabe.

Insiders at Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) confirmed to TheStandard
yesterday that all the copies of the magazine, estimated at about20 000,
were destroyed because of fear that they might fall into the handsof the
public.

The Standard understands that Inspector Thokozo Nyathi, the
editor ofthe magazine, has since been transferred to Gwanda police station
where hewill undertake routine police duties not related to the running of
themagazine.

The in-house magazine, which has a circulation of
about 20 000,publishes stories relating to police duties and other in-house
matters andfalls under the Press and Public Relations Department headed by
AssistantCommissioner, Wayne Bvudzijena.

The banned story
included pictures of the deadly anti riot tankerspurchased from Israel last
year by the Zanu PF government in anticipation ofmass protests aimed at the
overthrow of President Robert Mugabe.

Bvudzijena yesterday said he
was not at liberty to talk on the issue.

'The Outpost is an
in-house police magazine whose contents are forpolicemen and should not be
discussed in public or with the media,' saidBvudzijena.

The
banned issue was for April.

The magazine bears a picture of the
anti-riot tankers which the policedisplayed the high density areas during
the two-day stay away organised bythe Movement For Democratic Change (MDC)
last month.

It was The Standard which last year broke the story of
the purchase ofthe anti-riot gear from Israel.

The Standard has
seen one of the banned copies of the magazine.

Only a few copies
were made available to the police top brass.

'The magazine is first
issued to the police top brass and once theyhad read the magazine, they
issued a directive that the magazine was to bestored and not distributed,'
said a source.

PROFESSOR Masipula Sithole, who died in the United
States aftersuffering a stroke, was one of Zimbabwe's most incisive minds
and a leadingcampaigner against the brutal Zanu PF regime which has governed
Zimbabwesince independence from Britain in 1980.

'Masi' or
'Prof', as he was popularly known, had a sharp mind that wasamply employed
at the numerous public forums that he participated in asZimbabweans
continued to search for a peaceful solution to the
country'sproblems.

A great wit who found time to joke even
during the most serious ofdiscussions and many times breaking tense moments
that might have arisen,Sithole was also known not to suffer fools
easily.

Sithole, the young brother of the late nationalist
Ndabaningi Sithole,was a lecturer in the University of Zimbabwe's political
science faculty andwas also the founder and director of the Mass Public
Opinion Institute, thefirst Zimbabwean polling organisation which was
established in 1999.

He sat on the board of trustees of a number of
voluntary organisationsand his column 'Public Eye' which ran in a local
weekly, was widely read andrespected.

The Standard is
particularly saddened that shortly before Sitholepassed away, he had visited
the newspaper's Editor Bornwell Chakaodza, andlooked in very good
health.

Sithole, who was 56, is survived by his wife Alice and
twosons-Masipula (Jnr) and Chandiwana.

According to his family,
his body will arrive in Zimbabwe for burialsometime this week.

IF the governing Zanu PF party thought the presence of
PresidentRobert Mugabe, his wife Grace and the huge entourage of hangers' on
at thepolling station in Highfield would influence the vote, then they must
stillbe shell-shocked over how Highfield residents resoundingly rejected
themlast weekend.

The people of Highfield, who like every one
else in Zimbabwe aresuffering the effects of Mugabe's bad policies, were
determined to tell theaged Zanu PF leader right in his face that he was a
failure and that histime was up.

The humiliated Zanu PF leader
had obviously been hoodwinked intobelieving that his presence in Highfield
during the polling would crown theresounding victory of Joseph Chinotimba-a
former security guard in theHarare municipality and the party's candidate
for Highfield.

How a veteran politician such as Mugabe could have
been made tobelieve that Zanu PF would win in Highfield-or Kuwadzana for
thatmatter-given all the winding petrol queues, the food shortages, the
massiveunemployment rate, the worsening poverty and the growing anger among
thepeople, is difficult to fathom.

It only goes to show that
Mugabe and his advisers have lost the plot:they no longer have their ears to
the ground and have become totallyalienated from the people.

The 79-year-old Mugabe, who becomes invigorated at election campaigntime,
tried at the 11th hour to vigorously campaign for Chinotimba and
DavidMutasa, the party's candidate for Kuwadzana.

He had been
fooled into believing that Zanu PF's by-elections wins inthe rural areas
after the watershed 2000 general election, were theharbinger of good times
to come for the governing party.

According to sources close to the
Zanu PF leader, Mugabe seriouslybelieved his party was beginning to gain
momentum over the oppositionMovement for Democratic Change and he wanted to
be known to have been therejust before the party registered its first urban
electoral victory since theJune 2000 elections.

Instead, the
Highfield and Kuwadzana electorate dampened his spiritsand worsened his
fortunes when they made it very clear that Zimbabweanurbanites-the most
educated and most influential part of the population-wereangry at his
mismanagement of the economy and the deterioration in
livingstandards.

On the first day of voting, Chinotimba, with
an permanent grin on hisface as he basked in the euphoria created by the
presence of Mugabe andGrace, boasted: "All is already water under the
bridge. I have already won,especially with the leader of the country coming
to cast his vote for me."

Chinotimba was confident that he had made
it to parliament because hehad provided Highfield residents with free mealie
meal, cooking oil andother basic commodities not easily available in the
shops, and Mugabe'svisible support for him would obviously be the icing on
the cake.

But Chinotimba can be forgiven for such wishful thinking
because thisbearded former municipal guard-who only a few months ago wore
straw hats andwas guarding municipal beerhalls-is illiterate and
unsophisticated.

Chinotimba is a simple man who found himself
catapulted to dizzyheights by Zanu PF and he was naive enough to believe
that the mere presenceof Mugabe would deliver him the vote.

But
one question remains unanswered: where did Chinotimba, a man whowas earning
very little just a few months ago, get the kind of money he wassplashing
around Highfield, unless it was from Mugabe himself?

According to
sources within Zanu PF, Chinotimba must have spent morethan $15 million
trying to buy himself into the hearts and minds of theHighfield
residents.

As soon as news of Zanu PF's defeat in both
constituencies spread,Harare residents breathed a sigh of relief because
they knew that theprotest vote in Highfield and Kuwadzana had once again
thwarted the rulingparty's intentions to turn Zimbabwe into a one party
state.

"We were determined to teach these Zanu PF gangsters an
importantlesson that our vote can never be bought through a few loaves of
bread andbags of mealie meal," said Lloyd Hungwa of Highfield.

Come Tuesday, though, the comfortable but cheap Zupco buses which hadbeen
plying the Highfield route and had been introduced just before
theby-election-and which Chinotimba boasted of having lobbied for-were
nowhereto be seen.

Tuckshops such as Hwende Kiosk at the Old
Highfield flats-a hive ofactivity over the past months as Chinotimba brought
in loads of bread andmealie meal-have now suddenly turned into empty
shrines.

Chinotimba, together with his free supplies of scarce
basiccommodities and the marauding gangs of Zanu PF militias that used
toaccompany him, have all but disappeared from the suburb.

In
fact, when the media tried to ask Chinos, as the former municipalguard is
popularly known in governing party circles, why the Zupco buses hadbeen
withdrawn from Highfield, his astonishing answer was: "I don't live
inHighfield," and with those words, he exposed, once again, Zanu PF's
attemptto impose upon the residents of a suburb, a candidate who did not
reallyhave their interests at heart.

The Zanu PF candidate for
Kuwadzana, businessman Mutasa, was equallybitter.

"What do you
want from me," he barked at reporters who tried to getcomment from him on
how the elections had gone. "Write what you think. Askme anything again and
I will deal with you."

BULAWAYO-Senior Zanu PF politicians in Bulawayo who
last week forcedBulawayo provincial chairman Jabulani Sibanda out of office,
now want him tovacate his position as chairman of the war veterans'
association, TheStandard has learnt. The politicians, supported by some war
veterans, havethreatened to desert the party en-masse unless the national
war veterans'office reverses the election of Sibanda as chairman of the
province.

The politicians and the war veterans allege that Sibanda,
who wasousted when Zanu PF's Central Committee endorsed his expulsion, was
electedat a rally, without the required quorum.

The Bulawayo
war veterans' province is made up of 13 districts thatshould form a full
quorum before elections are held.

What has, however, raised
eyebrows is that the issue is beingdiscussed only now, two years after
Sibanda took over at the helm of theassociation.

But some
politicians who spoke to The Standard said the issue couldnot have been
raised earlier because it would have compromised Zanu PF'scampaign ahead of
the crucial presidential election last year.

However, party sources
said Sibanda was "paying dearly" for openlydisobeying senior politicians
whom he accused of illegally trading in maizeon the black
market.

The secretary general of the Zimbabwe National Liberation
War VeteransAssociation (ZNLWA) Andy Mhlanga, said he had heard the rumours
of a plot tooust Sibanda but said the issues had not been brought to
him.

"Nothing has been brought to me officially but maybe the
problems inBulawayo are arising from the fact that Sibanda has never
attended any warveterans' meetings since he took over as chairman," Mhlanga
said.

Sources also said Sibanda was unpopular with some Bulawayo
politiciansbecause of his close links with Zanu PF's secretary for
administration,Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The sources said Mnangagwa
was backing Sibanda, Joseph Chinotimba andMunyaradzi Meki for top positions
in the war veterans' national leadership,something that had not gone down
well with the top brass within the localPolitburo.

Mhlanga,
however, denied any knowledge of Sibanda's nationalaspirations in the
association.

"As far as I am concerned, only Chinotimba has
forwarded his name andcredentials for the national chairmanship and hence, I
cannot comment onSibanda's aspirations," said Mhlanga.

A vote
of no confidence was passed on Sibanda after Zanu PF's CentralCommittee and
Politburo members in the province complained that he wasundermining the
authority of senior party leaders.

Sibanda is also accused of
embezzling more than $35 million in partycampaign funds during last year's
presidential election.

ZIMBABWE'S crippled industry could grind to a halt as the effects ofthe
intermittent power cuts introduced last month by the ZimbabweElectricity
Supply Authority (ZESA) take their toll.

A visit to Harare's main
industrial sites by Standard Business onFriday revealed that ZESA was
cutting off electricity supplies without priornotification from about 8.00am
to around mid-day, interrupting productiondaily for about three
hours.

Most affected is the Masasa industrial area where
industrialists saidalthough they had generators, they were unable to use
them because of thecrippling fuel shortages.

A worker at one
horticulture exporting company in Masasa, said sizablestocks of products had
been damaged because of power cuts to theircoldrooms, raising fears that
exporting companies might lose their marketshare as a result of undelivered
supplies.

ZESA introduced load shedding two weeks ago following a
reduction inpower imports from South Africa and Mozambique.

Mozambique's hydroelectric power station, Cahora Bassa, reducedsupplies to
Zimbabwe citing the country's continued default in payment forsupplies,
while Snel of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and SouthAfrica's
Eskom have also raised concern over ZESA's mounting debts
withthem.

Company executives and industry captains said the
introduction of loadshedding is contrary to government's drive in the
National Economic RevivalProgramme (NERP) to boost exports.

"Government's efforts to increase exports is absolutely undermined bythe
load shedding. Load shedding affects the efficiency of industry and ifyou
reduce efficiency you increase the cost of production, and in turnreduce the
chances of selling the final commodity," said an executive with acompany in
Masasa.

Other executives said job losses could not be ruled out
following themove by the national power utility.

"It is a blow
to economic development because industry and commercerely on energy to get
machines going. This country's revenue is dependent onmoney generated from
industry. So once there is load shedding there is goingto be a drastic
decline of the little profits we are still earning and wemight be forced to
downsize operations and hence affect jobs," said a motorindustry
executive.

David Govere, the managing director of Harambe Holdings
which operatesbakeries and a tile manufacturing company, said the power cuts
were costlyand disruptive to industry. He said there was need for ZESA to
work out amanaged schedule to minimise losses.

"We never got
the exact schedule. What we have are outcries frompeople. We also need to
look at whether we have the right management atZESA. Why didn't they inform
us that they were getting into a knee-highcrisis," charged Govere, who is
also the vice-president of ZNCC's Harareregion.

Phil Whitehead,
the managing director of Turnall Fibre Cement whichmanufactures fibre cement
roofing sheets and pipes in Bulawayo, said hisfirm was concerned by ZESA's
move and is currently analysing the losses madeso far.

"We have
been affected by the load shedding like everybody else. Powercuts are
disastrous. If we get load shedding for three hours the cement wewould be
mixing dries and we are forced to throw the cast cement away,"
saidWhitehead.

David Murangari, the chief executive of the
Chamber of Mines whoseindustry might shrink by 5% from last year's 7,1%,
deplored the power cutssaying they endangered workers' lives.

"We are losing production time and some of our equipment is beingdamaged
like the furnaces which cost a lot of money to replace. Apart fromdisruption
to production which will result in failure to achieve targets,safety is also
being compromised because the switch-offs are unannounced. Soyou face the
problem of endangering workers' lives," Murangari said.

CZI acting
chief executive, Farai Zizhou, revealed that some companiesin Harare and
Bulawayo had ceased production as a result of the power cuts,joining a host
of companies that have closed down because of the harsheconomic climate
since 2000.

"In Harare and Bulawayo there are a number of firms
which run furnaceswhose production lines have stopped. They can't stop and
start," saidZizhou.

James Sanders, the president of the
Zimbabwe National Chamber ofCommerce (ZNCC), said as a result of the load
shedding, industry isoperating at 40%.

"The impact will be very
devastating," he said.

Sanders said he signed a memorandum of
understanding with ZESA lastweek in which big businesses would chip in to
help ZESA with foreigncurrency and get rewards in the form of favourable
rates in return.

Economic analysts said the introduction of energy
cuts hard on theheels of fuel and food deficits, shows that government has
been overwhelmedby the crisis in Zimbabwe.

They said the power
cuts could be the last straw that will break thecamel's back, which is
already sagging as a result of a cocktail ofshortages of raw materials, fuel
and foreign currency.

"It is a pity that we have so badly damaged
our export base. Theeconomic consequences are as a result of political
action taken by theruling party. They have chosen policies that make us lose
money and that iswhere accountability should be," said John Robertson, an
independenteconomic consultant.

Robertson said government
needed to realise that Zimbabwe's exportswere mainly commodities like
nickel, gold, asbestos and tobacco which wereall high energy
consumers.

SOME
unscrupulous Harare residents and businessmen are making akilling out of
selling graves at graveyards such as Warren Hills for as muchas 10 times
their normal cost, an investigation by The Standard
hasrevealed.

Desperate, grieving families told The Standard
that Harare CityCouncil employees at Warren Hills had told them that they
could providegraves for their loved ones but at a cost.

The
council says Warren Hills cemetery is full and cannot accommodateany new
graves.

City council employees are believed to be working in
cahoots withresidents, businessmen and funeral homes which have bought up
all theremaining graves at the cemetery and can ask up to 10 times the $8
000 pricethe council normally charges for a grave.

According to
official sources, one Harare-based businessman has boughtmore than 100
graves and is doing roaring business selling them to grievingfamilies who
prefer to bury relatives at the more picturesque Warren HillsCemetery rather
than at the other council graveyards of Granville andGreendale.

It has been established that a grave at Warren Hills can now cost asmuch as
$150 000 on the black market.

A family, which preferred anonymity,
told The Standard that itsmembers had approached a funeral parlour to have
their relative buried atWarren Hills but were told that there were no
graves.

"They told us we could only get a grave if we paid 10 times
thestipulated fee. We had no option but to pay the money for our relative
tohave a decent resting place," said the family spokesman.

The
Standard, assuming the guise of a group seeking graves at WarrenHills,
contacted the city funeral home which had helped the family to sourcethe
grave.

A company official there at first said there were no graves
at thecemetery but later said a resting place could be arranged for a lot
morethan the city council price.

"There are a number of people
who have many graves. You can get themas long as you can pay for them. The
figure varies from time to time but youcan have a good grave if you pay $100
000," said the official at the funeralhome.

Contacted for
comment, executive mayor of Harare, Elias Mudzuri saidhe was not aware of
the trade in graves at Warren Hills.

"I will, however, instruct my
officers to look into the matter," saidMudzuri.

Harare City
Council has three large cemeteries: Greendale, WarrenHills and Granville. At
some of these burial sites, space has run outforcing the council to expand
the grounds.

According to health experts, more than 3 000
Zimbabweans are dyingevery week from diseases associated with the HIV/ Aids
virus.

The high number of deaths from Aids has created extra
pressure on thecity council to find more burial space because the only
otheroption-cremation-is unpopular with black Zimbabweans.

SOUTH AFRICAN President Thabo Mbeki turned down a
scheduled meeting withBritish Minister for Africa at the Foreign Office and
the Commonwealth inLondon, Baroness Valerie Amos over some undiplomatic
statements she isalleged to have made in that country ahead of their
meeting, the SundayMirror has learnt.

Conflicting positions on the
meeting between the two were also emerging fromthe South African
authorities, with the foreign affairs ministry confirmingthat Mbeki would
not meet with Amos, while the President's office said Amoswould pay the
President a courtesy call yesterday afternoon (Saturday).

Authoritative
sources in South Africa say the basis for the cancellation ofthe meeting
stems from a speech that Amos gave to the National Press Unionin Pretoria,
in which she is alleged to have sharply criticised South Africa's policy of
quiet diplomacy and constructive engagement toward Zimbabwe.The South
African government did not take too kindly to Amos' statements, asthey felt
that she was breaching diplomatic etiquette by pre-empting thepending
meeting with Mbeki.

In her address to the National Press Union, Amos said
she had come to SouthAfrica partly to explain the British position on two
areas of differencewith the South African government - Iraq and
Zimbabwe.

According to a report published by the South African Star
newspaper, Amossaid Britain's considerable assistance to Africa and its hard
work inpromoting Nepad (New partnership for Africa's Development) had
been"overshadowed by an outdated belief that Britain's motives are
colonialistbecause of the criticism which we have levelled at
Zimbabwe".

She denied that her country's criticism of Zimbabwe hinged on
its desire toprotect the large share of land owned by the white minority,
saying Britainbelieved that land should be distributed through a
transparent, lawful andaffordable programme. She said Zimbabwe had been
destabilised andimpoverished not just by inequitable land distribution, but
also by badgovernment policies.

Turning to Nepad, Amos told the press
union that foreign investors weresceptical of the programme's capacity to
work on account of the failure ofthe African peer review mechanism to
effectively handle cases such asZimbabwe's. Baroness Amos, whose week-long
visit to South Africa endedyesterday, was scheduled to hold talks with
President Mbeki, DefenceMinister Mosiuoa Lekota, Foreign Affairs Minister
Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zumaand her deputy, Aziz Pahad on bilateral and regional
issues.

Mbeki's spokesperson, Bheki Khumalo said on Saturday that
Baroness Amoswould pay the President a courtesy call that afternoon, but
would notdivulge the possible subject of their discussion. Asked to confirm
or denywhether South Africa had been dismayed by Amos' statements on his
country'shandling of Zimbabwe, Khumalo said: "The Baroness has a right to
hold herviews and to express them. The British must explain their position
onZimbabwe, but we don't believe in closing the doors on dialogue."
SouthAfrica's foreign affairs spokesperson, Ronnie Mamoepa confirmed that
Amoshad met Dhlamini-Zuma and Pahad, but would also not be drawn to reveal
thesubstance of their discussions. Ironically, however, Mamoepa flatly
deniedthat Amos would meet with Mbeki.

"I can confirm that she has
met our foreign affairs minister and her deputy,but the Baroness will not be
meeting the President," Mamoepa said,emphatically.

The British High
Commission in South Africa mentioned on its web site thatBaroness Amos would
dwell on her country's policy towards Zimbabwe duringher South African
visit. Her visit fell in the same week as the SouthernAfrica Development
Community (SADC)'s Organ for Politics, Defence andSecurity meeting in
Harare, which proposed sending a taskforce to meet withZimbabwe government
officials, the opposition and various other groups tolook into problems
besetting the country.

Addressing a press conference last week, Foreign
Affairs Minister, Dr. StanMudenge insisted that the taskforce was coming at
his behest in order "toensure that my colleagues in SADC, who are subjected
to so much propaganda .. .do come and get a better view." Analysts expect
the regional taskforce topush for the resumption of dialogue between the
ruling Zanu PF and theopposition Movement for Democratic Change as a way of
breaking the politicalimpasse and, according to Mamoepa, laying the basis
for economic revival.

The South African Parliament must
urgently send a delegation towitness and investigate the current conditions
in Zimbabwe, Joe Seremane,acting leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA),
said today.

Seremane said he would request Douglas Gibson,
the party's chiefwhip, to communicate this request to the Speaker of
Parliament. "SouthAfrica remains one of the success stories on the African
continent,"Seremane said.

"We should not squander either
the goodwill towards us or theinvestment opportunities for us by continuing
to close ranks around thedespotic Mugabe regime. The South African
government should also invest thesame amount of time and energy into
restoring law and order in Zimbabwe asit did in securing peace in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo," he added.

The people of
Zimbabwe needed South Africa to stand up for themby: Sending a parliamentary
delegation to Zimbabwe which will meet with allstake holders, including the
opposition and civil society organisations.Releasing Australian Prime
Minister John Howard's report on the progress todemocracy in Zimbabwe and
publicly and officially denouncing Robert Mugabe'shuman rights abuses. It
should also exclude Zimbabwe from multilateralinstitutions such as Nepad,
until democracy is fully restored in thatcountry. - Sapa

Fifteen cows were maimed at the Charleswood Estate
farm inZimbabwe at the weekend, allegedly to harass Movement for Democratic
ChangeMP Roy Bennett, the Zimbwabwean National SPCA said
today.

Meryl Harrison, the Zimbabwean National SPCA chief
inspector,said some of the cattle's head, legs and shoulders were chopped
with an axe"not to kill them, but they are trying to harass Roy Bennett. "We
find thisdeplorable. We sympathise with the people but we do feel that
people need tobe aware of the suffering of the animals, and it seems to be
escalating."

Harrison said she had just returned from the
farm in theChimanichimani farming area, about 400km south of Harare, where
the animalsreceived treatment. - Sapa

The
Prince of Wales has been warned of a plot to prevent him succeeding theQueen
as head of the Commonwealth, one of the monarch's most influentialsurviving
functions. Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, is fomentingdemands to
sever ties that have bound the royal family to the Commonwealthsince its
foundation in 1949. Under one option, leadership of the club forformer
territories of the British empire would be rotated among its 54members after
the death of the Queen. Mugabe's allies insist that their aimis not to
humiliate Charles but to prevent Britain from abusing its historicinfluence
over other Commonwealth countries. They blame it for Zimbabwe'ssuspension
from the organisation. The position of Don McKinnon, a NewZealander who is
the Commonwealth secretary-general, is also under attack byMugabe's allies.
South Africa has accused him of improper behaviour insecuring a 10-month
extension to Zimbabwe's one-year suspension. Dr GeorgeShire, speaking for
the Zimbabwean high commission in London, said: "The waythe Commonwealth has
been run recently takes us backwards by 20 years.African heads of state have
called for reform of the club. They think the(Queen's) titular role has
become tainted by being seen to coincide with theLabour government's
position on Zimbabwe. This is not a slight on Charles."

It is thought
unlikely that a formal motion on severing the link to theBritish throne will
be discussed in December at the biennial conference ofCommonwealth heads of
government in Nigeria. But Mugabe's plan, which hasbeen discussed with some
other African leaders, may gather momentum. DerekIngram, an author and
veteran observer of Commonwealth politics, said: "Thisis a cunning move to
embarrass Britain." George Kirya, chairman of theCommonwealth Africa group
and high commissioner for Uganda, said: "One couldargue for rotating the
leadership to show that the old (white) Commonwealthand the new have become
an alliance of equals." One authoritative sourcesaid that Charles was
"devastated" at the prospect of being edged out. TheQueen regards the post
as one of the most important and enjoyable of herduties. One friend said:
"She throws herself into it with an enthusiasm andverve I have not seen her
show elsewhere." The Queen is credited withplaying a vital role in ensuring
that divisions over South African sanctionsin the 1980s did not lead to the
organisation's break-up. She also helped toachieve debt write-offs for Third
World countries to mark the turn of themillennium.

Palace sources
say Charles is anxious to step up his involvement inCommonwealth business
after years of apparent indifference. One courtiersaid: "He once told me
that the future of Britain lay in Europe and hewouldn't mind never going to
Australia again." During the 1990s his absencefrom the Commonwealth Day
Observance at Westminster Abbey was noted bypoliticians, and officials at
Marlborough House, headquarters of thesecretariat, suspected at one point
that Charles wanted to move into thebuilding. Last month the prince attended
the service at Westminster Abbeybut failed to show up at the evening
reception at Marlborough House. TheEarl and Countess of Wessex attended
instead. The Queen and the ForeignOffice have approved several initiatives
to improve Charles's standingoverseas, under the guidance of McKinnon. Last
month the prince attendedlunch with the Caribbean group of high
commissioners and there will be moresuch occasions. One insider said: "Those
high commissioners will send back acable saying, 'I talked to Prince Charles
and he's showing a fantasticinterest in what's happening in Trinidad,' for
example." Another said: "Ofcourse, it would be undignified to be seen to be
lobbying." A tour ofsub-Saharan Africa has been shelved for security
reasons, but Charles willincreasingly take over the burden of overseas tours
from the Queen. His newrole as president of the British Red Cross will
increase his links withAfrica, and the Prince's Trust, his charity for young
people, will announcean expansion into Commonwealth countries. A spokesman
for the Commonwealthsecretariat said: "The heads of government will decide
who they want astheir next leader when the time comes."

The government of Zimbabwe is bowing to
international and domestic pressureover its draconian media
legislation.

The government told the Southern African Development
Community's Organ onPolitics, Defence and Security Co-operation meeting in
Harare this week thatit was amending the controversial Access to Information
and Protection ofPrivacy Act.

An amendment Bill is now under
consideration by the Zimbabwean parliament.It takes into account some of the
concerns raised by the media fraternityabout provisions that led to the
arrest of a number of local and foreignjournalists. The move is being seen
as an attempt to ward off aconstitutional challenge by
journalists.

The SADC meeting was also told that Zimbabwe is
promulgating a CitizenAmendment Act, which will extend Zimbabwean
citizenship to all SADC citizenswho were resident in that country at the
time of independence.

The legislation is aimed at resolving the
predicament of about two millionfarm workers of Malawian, Mozambican and
Zambian origin.

That was in response to queries by SADC foreign ministers
about reports ofmass arrests and beatings, which have outraged human-rights
lobby groups.

Mudenge claimed that his country's laws guaranteed the
right of individualsto "demonstrate freely", as long as they were "peaceful"
and acted inaccordance with the law.

The SADC will dispatch a
task force to Zimbabwe this week to investigatehuman-rights abuses and state
repression in a bid to resolve the deepeningcrisis.

Mozambican
Foreign Minister Leornado Simao, who chaired the meeting of theorgan, said
the task force would tackle the Zimbabwe crisis head-on.

The SADC
task force, comprising South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique,Zimbabwe's
neighbours, was appointed during the group's summit in Blantyrein August
2001.

The team will meet a wide cross-section of Zimbabwean society,
includinggovernment and ruling Zanu-PF officials, the MDC and other
oppositionparties, civil society groups and various
stakeholders.

Simao said the task force would also examine ways in
which the SADC couldthaw relations between Harare and the European
Union.

While the region appears to have taken a firmer stance against
Zimbabwe inlight of widespread condemnation of its human-rights abuses, the
finalcommuniqué appeared to whitewash the matter.

"The meeting
took note that those opposed to Zimbabwe have shifted theagenda from the
core issue of land by selective diversion of attention ongovernance and
human rights," the document said.

The Zimbabwean government reported
that its land-resettlement programme hadbeen completed and that it had made
an appeal to Britain to honour itscommitment to compensate white farmers
whose land had been expropriated.

It seems that the cry is out that the MDC must take the people to the streets for a final show of mass action that will flush Mugabe and his subhuman thugs out of power.
We have already seen an MDC tactical error recently when they promised to march on State House. Any card player will know that you never show your opponents what cards you are holding in your hands. The illegitimate regime then placed their agents and thugs, both uniformed and not, at all the right corners and places to ensure that any marchers would get nowhere near State House.
So there was a mistake made by the MDC on this score. Let them learn from it and move on.
While no one underestimates the stress and strain under which the MDC have to operate they need to judge carefully “when to hold them and when to show them” to use a card playing analogy again.
They need to resist the demands of the hot heads for action as it is obvious that this “advice” also comes from Zanu-PF supporters as well and is a recipe for disaster. There is nothing that the regime wants more than the opportunity to slaughter freedom loving Zimbabweans on the streets all the while knowing that they get support from Mbeki and Obasanjo for “maintaining internal security.”
It is therefore vital that the MDC be guided by “doing what is least expected.” rather than what can be predicted with reasonable certainty.
While the MDC leadership waits and judges the correct timing to strike major blows at the heart of the illegitimate Mugabe regime the people at grass roots level must keep themselves busy hindering the regimes activities at every turn and at every opportunity.
At every dinner table in every home in Zimbabwe the question must be asked of every member of the family every day, “what did you do to the regime today?” No matter how small every patriotic Zimbabwean must do something every day to hasten the demise of this brutal regime. Let it be heard at every gathering of freedom loving Zimbabweans as people are asked “what did you do today?”
This is the way to bring down this disgusting regime in a manner of “death by a thousand cuts”. No satellite guided bombs needed just the relentless daily efforts of millions of Zimbabweans to make a small cut in the hide of the grotesque beast which rules by tyranny against the wishes of the voters of and citizens of Zimbabwe.
Aluta continua ... victory is certain.

What has happened to the boycott of Zanu-PF owned business?

Was this just another flash in the pan? Just another good idea that was supported for a week, or a day or maybe even one whole hour?
At the time of the mass stayaway the organisation Zvakwana posted a list of companies and businesses that refused to close. Again, what has become of that? Nothing as far as has been heard from any source.
What is the message that Zimbabweans are sending out to the world?
That while the brutal regime abducts, tortures and murders our fathers and brothers, assaults and gang rapes our mothers and sisters Zimbos continue to pour their increasingly scarce money into the pockets of Mugabe's henchmen and other supporters of the regime through buying from their shops and supporting their businesses. No wonder so little support is forthcoming from the international community ... they must think Zimbabweans are crazy ... and quite rightly so.
The history tells us that consumer boycotts where a powerful tool in the fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa and were very, very effective.
Time will tell whether Zimbabweans as a nation are willing to stand up and throw off the chains of their subjugation or are they like sheep prepared to continue to be led to their slaughter by successive regimes.
Let history not judge us harshly. Stand up and be counted.

Baroness Amos exposes the great Zanu-PF lie

Zimbabweans have long known that nothing, repeat nothing, claimed or stated by the illegitimate Mugabe regime can be believed.
This is all rather like the current Iraq coverage on TV. While we see journalists making reports from the Baghdad airport the Iraqi equivalent of Jonathan Moyo is assuring the people of Iraq that the battlefield is littered with dead US soldiers and the rest are running for their lives.
In a recent address Baroness Amos, the British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs stated what all Zimbabweans know whether they admit it or not.
She said: "Robert Mugabe and his government will tell you three things.
"That unfair land distribution was the sole cause of the country's problems; that the United Kingdom opposed land reform in Zimbabwe because it wanted to protect the large share of the land owned by the white minority as a legacy of colonialism; that the United Kingdom reneged on commitments made under the Lancaster House Agreement to fund the land reform programme.
"They combine these points by saying that all their country's many problems are caused by a bilateral dispute with the UK. None of this is true."
She said inequitable land distribution was not the sole cause of Zimbabwe's problems, but that the country had been destabilised and impoverished by bad governance.
Amos said the country was now poorer than it was at independence and there was widespread State-sanctioned political violence, intimidation and harassment.

ZRP traitors protect brown bombers from eviction

In another case of complicity with the illegal actions of Mugabe's thugs know as the brown bombers the ZRP have proved once again through their protection of the thugs that the violent actions of these thugs are state sponsored and the ZRP are involved.
The police last month refused to help the Harare Municipality to evict Zanu PF youths from a council library and hall in Kuwadzana, and instead, advised the council’s municipal police against evicting the youths.
The Zanu-PF thugs occupied the properties in the run-up to the parliamentary by-election in Kuwadzana on 29 and 30 March. They subsequently turned the properties into bases from which they launched raids on suspected MDC supporters in the constituency.
The traitor in the ZRP who both protected the Zanu-PF thugs from eviction and went on to threaten the Municipality can be named, he is Superintendent H Dhlakama, the Crime Prevention Officer for Harare Province. Let it be known ... vachaona gore ratichatonga.

Don’t lose hope, Chinos

I would like to say to Joseph “Chinos” Chinotimba: don’t lose hope.
Remember, President Mugabe loves losers. Amos Midzi is now a minister after losing to Elias Mudzuri.
You may be in the running to replace Swithun Mombeshora. In the meantime, perfect your English by reading novels.
Meteng - Harare.

Masipula passes - swradioafrica

Professor Masipula Sithole, a prominent political analyst and academic, passed away in Washington early this morning. He had suffered a stroke at the weekend and had been placed in intensive care at a United States hospital. He has been Professor of political science at the University of Zimbabwe since 1980, and director of the Mass Public Opinion Institute, Zimbabwe's first polling organization, since 1999.
May his soul rest in peace

If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say, "There lived a great people - a black people - who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Woman raped in Zanu-PF provincial headquarters
The sad tale of violence and subhuman thuggery continues.
Mugabe supporter and long time Zanu-PF loyalist Richard Munthuli was so angry when he heard the results of the by-elections that he grabbed a woman passing by the Zanu PF provincial headquarters, the Davies Hall carried the woman on his shoulders and went with her inside Davies Hall where he raped her twice.
This unacceptable behaviour has become a trademark of Mugabe's Zanu-PF regime. Zanu-PF has become nothing more than a collection of thieves, abductors, torturers, rapists and murderers.
One wonders how this subhuman thug, Richard Munthali, rates his chances of survival once the Mugabe regime has been consigned to the dustbin of history. Maybe he like Mwale and others know they are doomed so they no longer care about what they do and how they behave.
In the meantime the Bulawayo magistrate Fadzai Mthombeni who is hearing the case needs to be acutely aware that the eyes of the nation are upon this case and carefully watching every move to see whether justice is seen to be done. Judges, magistrates and prosecutors who are found to have sold their souls and their integrity to the illegitimate Mugabe regime must not expect mercy when their patron Robert Gabriel Mugabe is thrown into Chikurubi and they are called upon to account for their role in the crimes against humanity committed by this regime.

Security forces must respect citizens
The Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET) is concerned about the state’s response to the perceived national security risk arising from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) ultimatum.
Although it is necessary to safeguard the nation’s security, this
should be done in a way which does not infringe fundamental human rights. Reports of the police allegedly harassing, innocent civilians at roadblocks are cause for concern.
In these times when everyone is concentrating on fighting the HIV/ AIDS pandemic and workers having three percent of their salary channelled to this cause, some rogue elements masquerading as army personnel are alleged to be forcing people to have unprotected sex.
Such messy killing is not acceptable in a democratic society that claims to uphold the rule of law and responsible citizens should not accommodate such behaviour. The army’s dissociation from the bogus soldiers alone is not enough. Full investigations should be launched into these incidents.
While ZIMCET does not challenge the enforcement of law and order, it totally condemns the panic expressed by the government and the police before, during and after the mass action organised by MDC. Evidence is abundant to the effect that suspects have been seriously tortured.
The law enforcement agents should be professional and ensure that every suspected person is treated with dignity without selective application of the law.
ZIMCET urges the commissioner of police, the commander of the armed forces and the responsible ministries to urgently address these concerns.
David A Chimhini – ZIMCET

The sentiments expressed here are supported but unfortunately are typically wishy-washy which is indicative of an emasculated civil society. Why do we not hear that these so-called champions of human rights commit themselves to document and ensure prosecution through the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the absence of law and order in Mugabe's Zimbabwe? Why are these thugs and their masters not being put on notice that once the Mugabe regime collapses they will have nowhere to hide? Why are they not promised that they will be hunted down like the subhuman animals their behaviour tells us they have become? Ed

Strike the iron while it is hot
Now that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has awoken from its political slumber, the more reason for the opposition to stay awake.
The state’s oppressive machinery is now fully in motion and they
shall try by all means to force the MDC into the political wilderness.
If they fail, I am sure Chihuri and company will lose their jobs. The state has declared war on civil society, human rights and dignity.
I salute Tsvangirai for his stance — giving Mugabe an ultimatum whilst he (Tsvangirai) is facing charges of treason.
The various reports of brutal assaults going on around the country are a sign of an impending confrontation between the state and the masses. One famous African writer said: " . . . justice for the oppressed comes from a sharpened spear."
If we thought civil disobedience and unrest were not a reality in Zimbabwe, then think again, the worst is yet to come. It is now a fight for freedom, a true liberation struggle like the one against Smith’s regime.
The President, if he does not know, has very little time to act.
The police and other state agents should see the future; you honestly don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that the end of Mugabe’s rule is imminent. All these brutal abuses are going to give us the fuel we need to sustain the flame of a mass rising. The time is near.
To the leaders of the opposition I say strike the iron while it is still hot (simbi inorohwa ichapisa).
Paradzai Hondo - UK

BLACK OR WHITE A MURDERER IS A MURDERER
I used to support mugabe until i saw the light ,i realised that he cares about no one but himself and his cronies. i went to school in CHINHOYI HIGH with a certain governors son, today mercedes tomorrow cherokee, tomorrow mecedes, why because they fought in they war.
MY HEROES DIED IN ThE WAR, TONGOGARA AND THE REST, SO THAT WE WOULD STOP BEING BUTCHERED BY SMITH. THE WORLD WAS OUTRAGED BUT NOW PEOPLE SEEM TO BE CONTENT WITH mugabe (i wont even spell his name in capital letters) starving his people while a percentage of the population live in luxury, well all i have to say is, hitler fell,stalin fell, SMITH FELL,and you will fall.
at least smith was fighting with MAGAMBA EDU, who were armed, but you mugabe are slaughtering civilians like BOTHA, NGOZI UCHAIONA
Luther - UK

Mwale – the Mugabe thug with a deathwish - swradioafrica
Chimanimani CIO operative Joseph Mwale has had a busy week victimising opposition officials and supporters. On Wednesday Mwale was part of a team that brutally assaulted workers from Roy Bennett's farm, leaving a security guard named Makaza with serious injuries.
Today it is alleged that Mwale forced an employee at Agritex in Chimanimani to leave his job and get out of town. Mark Matanga is said to have helped the families that were dumped at a bus station by Mwale and inspector Chogugudza. By helping the stranded families, Matanga was accused by Mwale, of being sympathetic to the MDC.

Bennett's farm workers – the saga continues - swradioafrica
Manicaland governor Oppah Muchinguri and ZANU-PF coordinator Jen Knight made a personal visit to the families stranded at a Chimani town bus stop this afternoon.
The families were evicted illegally from Roy Bennett's Charleswood Estates by inspector Chogugudza and CIO agent Joseph Mwale last week. Muchinguri offered them their jobs back and some food after announcing that Bennett's farm now belongs to ARDA.
To her surprise, the workers refused to accept her food, and said they would not go back to Charleswood until Roy Bennett himself addressed them.

Invasion of Zim now inevitable
The ultimatum the Movement for Democratic Change has given the ZANU PF government must be taken seriously.
Here in Britain, the news is that an invasion of Zimbabwe is inevitable after the war against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. This is already public news, as private rumours that have been circulating for months within Westminster are now been confirmed in Press reports.
It is thought that the invasion would be led from the western side — Botswana — since Bulawayo is an opposition area that can be easily liberated.
So it seems a second revolution of Zimbabwe will soon be knocking on our doorsteps, Gushungo!
Josiah Mhashuwe – London

SA churches condemn violence in Zimbabwe
THE South African Council of Churches (SACC) has deplored the deteriorating human rights situation in Zimbabwe and says it will support fellow churches in the country fighting against government repression.
Molefe Tsele, the SACC general secretary, in a solidarity message to the Zimbabwe National Pastors’ Conference, said:“The situation in Zimbabwe has been going on unabated for a period exceeding a year by now with reports of human rights violations.
“We are pained by the fact that this occurs simultaneously with the famine that has engulfed the region, therefore, inflicting pain and poverty to many who are weak and vulnerable.”
The South African clergy’s message came after riot police arrested and detained 23 pastors outside the Police General Headquarters in Harare on 28 February as they demonstrated against police harassment and brutality.
Sadly this is a case of too little too late. Apart from Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube who has been a beacon of hope in the struggle for the rest the inactivity of the church leaders across the board has been nothing short of disgraceful. One of the processes needed in the post Mugabe era is for the churches to purge themselves of the gutless cowards who remained silent while the people of Zimbabwe were being brutalised by the subhuman Mugabe regime. Ed

Zanu-PF and Chinotimba whipped
I see zanu pf got their corrupt arses whipped by the MDC in the local elections (again) despite their blatant attempts at rigging and intimidation.
That illiterate imbecile Chinotimba has gone off with his tail between his legs (again).
Tricky

Let Mugabe and his thugs be assured that their crimes against humanity will come back to haunt them - swradioafrica
As we have been reporting there has been a massive crackdown of opposition supporters in the country since the stay-away. At least 28 MDC members in Kadoma were arrested immediately after the mass action. Some of those detained include Kadoma Central MP, Austin Mundawana. He was finally granted bail Friday after spending two and a half weeks in police custody. Mrs Mupandawana says she only saw the MP 3 days after he had been arrested during the stay-away. She says during those three days, he was beaten and denied food. Mupandawana and 28 MDC members spent 2 and half weeks in police custody and were only granted bail this morning. They were denied bail even after the 7 days stipulated under the Public Order and Security Act.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following names of members of the police force and the CIO are repeatedly being mentioned by hundreds of MDC activities who have been arrested and tortured while in custody.

We appeal to the families, relatives and friends of these officers to restrain them. Think about the future ... your futures!